DAVIE - Back in early October, after the Carolina Panthers had lost three of its first four games, some NFL analysts placed Ron Rivera on the hot seat. People speculated that Cam Newton would never be the leader the Panthers needed, and they used Jon Beason's trade to the New York Giants as evidence the franchise was throwing in the towel. Six wins later Rivera's Panthers (7-3) are the hottest team in the NFL heading into Sunday's game against the Miami Dolphins (5-5). Coincidentally, two of Rivera's top assistants have South Florida ties.

Training camp's start is right around the corner, and that means NFL odds makers are trying to profit off your excitement for the 2014 NFL season. Every year the odds makers produce a pre-training camp line on all 32 NFL teams, and their Super bowl odds. This season the Miami Dolphins' odds of winning it all isn't bery flattering. SportsBettingDime.com gives the Dolphins 66-to-1 odds of winning the Super Bowl. Only six teams - Buffalo Bills (75/1), Cleveland Browns (75/1)

No matter who the starting quarterback is against the Carolina Panthers, whoever performs best will have a leg up on the competition to start the season-opener against Houston on Sept. 9. That is if David Garrard does need another three weeks to overcome the medical procedure he had on his left knee. This week in practice there was no noticeable difference between Matt Moore, a six-year veteran who produced an 87.1 quarterback rating as Miami's starter last year, and Ryan Tannehill, the team's first-round pick.

The Miami Dolphins announced they promoted Joe Schoen to director of player personnel on Monday. Schoen completed his sixth season in 2013 as a part of the Dolphins' scouting staff and first in his role as assistant director of college scouting. He served the first five years with Miami as one of the team's national scouts. “Joe is a talented evaluator with knowledge and experience in various roles, his diverse skillset and leadership makes him a great fit for his new role going forward,” said HDolphins GM Dennis ickey.

University of Miami defensive tackle Warren Sapp interviewed with Carolina Panthers officials Monday in Miami. The Panthers, who have the first pick overall in the NFL draft, are considering selecting Sapp, the Lombardi Award winner. Panthers President Mike McCormack and General Manager Bill Polian interviewed Sapp. The Panthers figure to be thinking defense. Polian reaped great rewards while he was with the Buffalo Bills when he chose defensive tackle Bruce Smith in the first round. New Panthers head coach Dom Capers was the defensive coordinator with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Where/when: Bank of America Stadium, 8:30 p.m. TV: ESPN Bucs: They have some winnable games in the second half of the season, but they're not going to the playoffs and RB Cadillac Williams (453 yards) might be lucky to reach 1,000. He has just 53 yards in the past two games. Rookie sixth-round QB Bruce Gradkowski will start the rest of the year. Panthers: WR Steve Smith is fit, but he hasn't been as scintillating as 2005 (45 catches, 631 yards, two TDs). DE Julius Peppers has eight sacks.

The rookie is growing at a rate where it's difficult to discern his abilities from those of his seasoned competition. That said, only Joe Philbin can decide when to yank the diaper off of Miami Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill. Letting go of Tannehill's hand Friday night in the second preseason game against the Carolina Panthers is another tough call in a week that began by cutting first-team wide receiver Chad Johnson. Is Tannehill ready to start in the NFL? That's Philbin's call.

Julius Peppers wants to leave the Carolina Panthers, and he wants to play in a 3-4 defense. The Dolphins need another pass rusher. Carolina will likely franchise him, and force another team to make a trade. He turns 29 this weekend. He has double-digit sacks in five of his seven seasons, including 14.5 in 2008, after a career-worst 2.5 in 2007. And yes, for what it's worth, he comes from the same school as all-time Parcells favorite Lawrence Taylor. What would you give up?

New York Giants linebacker and former University of Miami standout Jon Beason headlines a trio of inductees who'll enter Chaminade-Madonna's sports hall of fame May 3. Beason, a 2003 Chaminade graduate who led the Lions to the state final as a two-way senior, also played basketball and ran track at the school. Following his time at Miami, he was a first-round pick by the Carolina Panthers. He has since made the Pro Bowl and been named an AP All-Pro. Football/basketball standout Richard Roselli, a 1972 graduate, and multi-sport athlete Robert "Tug" Waddell ('79)

It is impossible to go shopping without money in the bank account in the NFL. This offseason plenty of teams have it because of the $10 million salary cap increase, which raised the salary cap to $133 million. When you factor in carry over from past years there are seven teams with more than $30 million this offseason, and only four franchises (New Orleans Saints, Dallas Cowboys, Pittsburgh Steelers and the Carolina Panthers) find themselves in cap hell, hemorrhaging to the point veterans still need to be cut just to sign the 2014 draft class.

Former Miami Dolphins offensive lineman Andrew McDonald confirmed that he is Player A in the Ted Wells report on the Miami Dolphins ' workplace harassment scandal but expressed no lingering hard feelings toward the team. McDonald, a 6-foot-6, 310-pound undrafted free agent from Indiana , was a member of the Dolphins' practice squad in 2012 who now plays for the Carolina Panthers . It was assumed after the report came out that McDonald was the unidentified player.

The Carolina Panthers will play the Miami Dolphins on Sunday without the team's top pass rusher. Defensive end Charles Johnson is one of four Panthers ruled out for Sunday's 1 p.m. game. Johnson, who has contributed 23 tackles and 8.5 sacks this season, sustained a knee sprain when he was leg-whipped by Patriots offensive lineman Marcus Cannon in Carolina's Monday night win over the New England Patriots. Johnson didn't participate in practice all week and will likely be replaced by backups Frank Alexander (four tackles, zero sacks and four quarterback pressures)

Dave Hyde Sports Columnist Prediction: Carolina 27, Dolphins 17 Comment: The Dolphins' makeshift offensive line, the never-ending NFL investigation and a red-hot Carolina Panthers team deals a serious blow to Miami's postseason hopes. Greg Lee Sports Editor Prediction: Panthers 24, Dolphins 13 Comment: The Cam Newton show comes to town and he has a dominant defense so he does not have to carry the burden of having to make big plays all of the time.

Former Miami Dolphins linebacker A.J. Edds was claimed off waivers by the New England Patriots on Tuesday. Edds, selected in the fourth round of the 2010 NFL Draft, tore his anterior cruciate ligament in last year's training camp and missed his rookie season. Edds led the Dolphins in tackles during the exhibition season. To make room for Edds, the Patriots released cornerback Darius Butler, who starred at Coral Springs Charter School. Butler was picked up later in the day by the Carolina Panthers.

DAVIE - Back in early October, after the Carolina Panthers had lost three of its first four games, some NFL analysts placed Ron Rivera on the hot seat. People speculated that Cam Newton would never be the leader the Panthers needed, and they used Jon Beason's trade to the New York Giants as evidence the franchise was throwing in the towel. Six wins later Rivera's Panthers (7-3) are the hottest team in the NFL heading into Sunday's game against the Miami Dolphins (5-5). Coincidentally, two of Rivera's top assistants have South Florida ties.

DAVIE - The Miami Dolphins defense is apparently getting closer to being at full strength for Sunday's road game against the New England Patriots. Starting inside linebacker Dannell Ellerbe, who sat out last Sunday's 23-21 loss to Buffalo Bills because of a shoulder injury he suffered on Oct. 6, practiced for the second straight day on Wednesday. The extent of Ellerbe's participation was likely limited, but considering the former Georgia standout sat out all of last week's practice, his participation hints he's getting closer to returning to the defense.